Norfolk, VA Meeting Planning Overview

Welcome to Cvent's Meeting and Event Planning Guide to Norfolk, a city guide written with meeting planners in mind. With lovely weather and abundant historical, cultural and recreational attractions, it's no wonder that Norfolk welcomes more than two million visitors each year. A standout among convention destinations with a large number of Norfolk event venues, the invigorated city offers a compact, affordable and easily-managed seaside setting for meeting and convention groups.

Travel to the area is a breeze with two-thirds of the U.S. population within one day's drive. Also convenient, the Norfolk International Airport is located only six miles away from the newly revitalized downtown area. The Tide, Norfolk's light rail system, offers visitors an easier way to maneuver the area as well as fast access to some of Norfolk's major attractions.

Norfolk offers a variety of hotels and venues ready to accommodate meetings of every size, with approximately 4,000 hotel rooms citywide (468 committable) and 263,370 square feet of function space in the city and a downtown with 1,200 committable guestrooms and 222,934 square feet of function space.

Norfolk's distinctive essence can also be experienced at any one of many unique event spaces peppered throughout the city. The Chrysler Museum of Art offers a number of spectacular spaces for functions such as the Tiffany Gallery, which can accommodate groups up to 100 people and features the museum's exquisite collection of Tiffany glass. The museum also offers the 375-seat George M. and Linda H. Kaufman Theatre, featuring state-of-the-art, audio-visual equipment perfect for corporate meetings and presentations. For larger functions, the Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center is an 80,000-square-foot waterfront facility that can accommodate up to 1,500 guests. With five breathtaking spaces overlooking Norfolk's historic waterway, the Celebration Center has been host to such prestigious events as the luncheon for His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh; and the Sail Virginia Governor's Ball.

Norfolk serves as the North American headquarters for NATO and the corporate headquarters to a number of companies including Norfolk Southern, Landmark Communications, Dominion Enterprises, FHC Health Systems, Portfolio Recovery Associates and BlackHawk Products Group. Norfolk is also home to high-profile colleges and universities including Old Dominion University, Norfolk State University and Virginia Wesleyan College and Eastern Virginia Medical School.

About Norfolk, VA / Additional Info

Nestled between the waters of the Elizabeth River and the Chesapeake Bay, the scenic port city of Norfolk, Virginia, has undergone a stunning urban renaissance. The decades-long renewal has reinvented Norfolk as a thriving hub for finance, culture, shopping and entertainment while remaining true to the city's rich history and quaint Southern charm.

With the riverfront to the west and the bay to the north, the 96.3-square-mile city consists of 42.6 square miles of water. Centrally located along the mid-Atlantic coast, Norfolk is one of nine independent cities and seven counties that comprise the coastal Virginia. Other cities include Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Portsmouth, Poquoson, Suffolk, Virginia Beach and Williamsburg. The oldest of the nine cities, Norfolk is widely considered the historic, urban and financial center of the region.

With a population of approximately 246,392 people, Norfolk is the Commonwealth of Virginia's 2nd largest incorporated city. Dating back 400 years, the port city of Norfolk played a significant role in American history. Recognized for its easy access to water, the region had long been a strategic military and trading center for the New World. By 1775 Norfolk had already become Virginia's most prosperous city, and it continued to expand with the city's annexation of the nearby naval base in 1923.

Today, Norfolk's naval base is the largest in the world, earning the city the nickname as "The Navy Capital." Norfolk's numerous historic, maritime and patriotic offerings, such as the Cannonball Trail, Fort Norfolk, Historic Ghent, the MacArthur Memorial, St. Paul's Episcopal Church and Norfolk History Museum at the Willoughby-Baylor House, are a testament to the city's prominent and multi-faceted role in American history. As the heart of culture for the region, Norfolk is home to a thriving art scene that includes d'Art Center, the Virginia Opera, Virginia Stage Company, Commonwealth Theatre Company, Hermitage Foundation Museum and Virginia Symphony. See pieces by renowned artists Renoir, Degas and Monet at the nationally-acclaimed Chrysler Museum of Art and check out the newest addition to the arts scene, the Chrysler Glass Studio.

Beyond the arts, Norfolk offers a number of attractions that reveal the area's charm and natural beauty. Take a stroll through 155 acres of azaleas, roses and more at the Norfolk Botanical Garden. Experience Norfolk's maritime history at Nauticus, a 120,000-square-foot maritime-themed science center designed to resemble a military ship and tour the Battleship Wisconsin, one of the largest and last battleships ever built by the U.S. Navy. Or stop by Norfolk's surprisingly hip downtown core, featuring a theater district, upscale shopping, antique stores and a lively cruise port.

Norfolk enjoys a subtropical climate characterized by moderate changes of season. The city is warm most days of the year with an average annual high temperature of 68°F and an annual average low temperature of 51°F. Summers in Norfolk can be quite humid with average temperatures frequently reaching the 90s, with July being the warmest and wettest month. Winters are generally mild with the coldest month being January. Norfolk sees snowfall every winter, averaging seven inches per season.

Although Norfolk benefits from a mild, pleasant climate year-round, the best time to visit is in either the spring or fall. With only modest precipitation, spring and fall are a great time to get outdoors and enjoy a stroll through the vibrant downtown district, a harbor cruise, or any of the many recreational activities of this scenic, seaside city.

Norfolk, VA Airport Information

Norfolk International Airport (ORF)

Approximate taxi fare: $32 USD

Roughly 10 miles from downtown Norfolk, Norfolk International Airport is the dominant airport in Southeast Virginia. The four airlines operating out of Norfolk International Airport provide nonstop service to 26 destinations in the U.S.

The airport's 400,000-square-foot main passenger terminal houses two concourses and 24 gates, while the 243,000-square-foot arrivals terminal provides state-of-the-art baggage claim and ground transportation facilities. Norfolk International also features Wi-Fi throughout the terminal and a conference center for business travelers.

The facility has space for 2,859 short- and long-term parking spaces. An additional 4,700 parking spaces can be found among several other surface lots and garages, all within a short walk of the terminal.

Airline carriers serving Norfolk International Airport

American Airlines

American Eagle

Delta Connection

Southwest Airlines

US Airways

US Airways Express

Norfolk, VA Ground Transportation

Amtrak

Norfolk's Amtrak station at 230 Park Avenue is open Monday through Friday from 4 to 6 Am and 8 to 10 PM; Saturday from 5 to 7 AM and 11 to 11:59 PM; and Sunday from midnight to 1 AM, 5 to 7 AM and 8 to 10 PM. The station provides access to Amtrak's Northeast Regional route, which offers downtown-to-downtown service up and down the Northeast corridor from Boston to Virginia Beach.

Hampton Roads Transit (HRT)

Getting around Norfolk and the surrounding region is a breeze. Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) operates a number of traditional bus, electric shuttle bus and paddle wheel ferry boat routes within and between Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Hampton, Newport News and Suffolk. HRT serves over one million riders per month. The Max is a system of seven bus routes running between Hampton Roads communities and major centers of employment. Virginia's first and only first light system, Norfolk's The Tide extends 7.4 miles from the Eastern Virginia Medical Center complex through downtown Norfolk and to the Virginia Beach border. The Tide operates along 11 stations and four park and ride lots with free parking. Trains run Monday through Friday from 6 AM to 11 PM (with extended Friday hours until midnight), Saturday from 6 AM to midnight and Sunday from 10:55 AM to 9 PM. The Tide fare is $1.50 for adults and $1 for children ages 17 and under; children under 38 inches ride free.